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What to do if you’ve got 48 hours in Quebec City

What to see, what to do and where to eat if you only have 48 hours in Quebec City.

Don't let the winter stop you from enjoying the outdoors in Quebec City. (Dreamstime)

Along the Dufferin Terrace from mid-December to mid-March is the toboggan run, one of the oldest attractions in Quebec City. Three icy runs allow riders to zoom down at speeds of up to 70 km/h. (Tracy Hanes photo)

The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac is Quebec City's most iconic landmark. A walk along Dufferin Terrace in any season provides excellent views of the hotel, as well as Lower Town and the St. Lawrence River. (Tracy Hanes photo)

La Buche restaurant in Upper Town serves up new twists on traditional French-Canadian recipes — and it has one of the most unique restaurant bathrooms, complete with a bathtub sink, you'll find anywhere. (Tracy Hanes photo)

Panache restaurant in Old Port is nestled within the stone walls of a riverside warehouse, with chef Louis Pacquelin’s cuisine sourced from local ingredients. (Tracy Hanes photo)

Don't miss Notre-Dame-des-Victoires at Place Royale in Quebec City. (Dreamstime)

Quebec City is a gorgeous, year-round destination. (Jean-Francois Bergeron)

QUEBEC CITY — Like a passionate but brief holiday love affair, 48 hours in Quebec City is romantic, rejuvenating and far too brief.

It’s impossible to experience all the delights of the jewel of French Canada in two days, but here’s how we did it, concentrating on Old Quebec.

Day One:

Morning: Stroll along the Dufferin Terrace in front of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac to admire the iconic hotel and views of the St. Lawrence River below. Tread carefully down the steep Breakneck Stairs from the Place d’Armes to Lower Town. It’s like travelling back in time as you enter the cobbled, narrow streets and perhaps encounter folks in period costume. Check out the cannons and statues, enjoy the music of scattered buskers and make your way to Old Port. Amble along Rue Saint-Paul, past antique shops, galleries and sidewalk cafés.

If you’re here between May and October, climb aboard a red double-decker tour bus (Les Tours du Vieux Quebec) at Place d’Armes. The Red Loop offers a 12-stop narrated ride with a good overview of the city’s top sites. We rode for the 90-minute loop instead of hopping on and off.

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Noon: Treat yourself to a gourmet lunch at Panache, a restaurant set in a historic warehouse that adjoins Auberge Saint-Antoine, a family-owned hotel where guests have included Paul McCartney, Cindy Crawford and Stevie Wonder. Note the original rustic wide plank floors, beamed ceilings and stone walls. Check out the hotel’s displays of artifacts unearthed on the site, dating back to the 1600s.

Afternoon: Stop into the modern Musées de la Civilisation in Old Port, where there are several intriguing exhibitions, including Egyptian Magic, complete with amulets and mummies, that runs until April.

Wander over to Place Royale, where Samuel de Champlain set down roots in 1608 and soak up the historic ambience of the old stone buildings. Admire the oldest stone church in North America, Notre-Dame-de-Victoires, and check out the replica of a ship that dangles from its rafters.

Spare yourself the steep climb back up Cap Diamant. Squeeze into a crowded gift shop to ride the funicular for $2.25. You will be packed in tightly, but it’s a quick ride and the view is lovely.

Night: For traditional French-Canadian cuisine, try Aux Anciens Canadiens on Rue Saint-Louis. It’s in the oldest house in Quebec and has offerings such as pea soup, baked beans, bison and deer. Work off the calories with a walk through Upper Town and make sure to stop to admire the portrait artists at work along Rue de Trésor. Maybe you’ll want to sit for your own portrait.

Day Two:

Morning: Trek down to Lower Town for shopping along Quartier Petit-Champlain’s narrow cobblestone streets with its unique boutiques and galleries. Take a photo of the fresco by Murale Création that depicts the origin of the neighbourhood.

Stop into the Three Crow Glass Studio and feel the heat as blowers work their magic with molten glass. Pick up a cool piece of artistic glass in the shape of an elephant, flower or tropical fish as a memento.

After a bout of window shopping and a credit-card workout, you can take a guided sightseeing cruise (Croisières AML) on the St. Lawrence River from Chouinard Pier on Rue Dalhousie from May to October, but you can also hop on the Quebec-Levis ferry in Old Port, which connects these two cities year-round. The journey across the river offers stunning views and great photo ops. It’s a bargain at $7 for a 40-minute return trip.

Noon: You can lunch in Lower Town or for some tasty eats and trendy ambience, trek up to the Château Frontenac and dine in Le Sam, Bistro évolutif, where celebrity chef Stéphane Modat, a TV personality and co-author of the bestselling Les Recettes de Papilles et Molecules (The Recipes of Taste Buds and Molecules), has transformed formerly staid Château restaurants into hip culinary hot spots.

Afternoon: Check out the formidable defence system developed between 1608 and 1871 in North America’s only remaining fortified city. After playing king of the castle along part of the 4.6 kilometres of stone wall fortifications, fortify yourself with a brew or two in Pub Saint-Patrick, an authentic Irish pub on Rue Saint-Jean.

Night: Tonight’s dining experience is about a fun twist on traditional French-Canadian cuisine with a visit to La Buche, a fun new eatery on Rue Saint-Louis. Its cheerful sugar-shack decor is informal and inviting, its menu offerings of tourtière, smoked salmon, poutine and poor man’s pudding are divine, and it has a very cool restaurant bathroom.

With the sun setting literally on 48 hours in Quebec, traipse to the citadel to admire the pink-hued sky over Old Quebec.

Tracy Hanes received a hotel room for this trip from Tourism Quebec, which didn’t review or approve this story.

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